It’s easy to get caught up in the hoopla surrounding the 2012 North American International Auto Show, but that doesn’t mean that we’re closing our eyes and ears to everything else going on in the automotive world. Especially when it comes to the Geneva Motor Show this March.
One automaker that’s looking to kick-start some buzz is Infiniti. Nissan’s luxury brand has officially released the first teaser image of a new electric sports car concept that’s going to break cover in Geneva.
Details are limited at this point, although we’ve been told that the car will carry a mid-mounted powertrain that will provide weight distribution and handling for the extended range vehicle. According to Infiniti, the still-to-be-named concept car will be an electrically-propelled vehicle that will make for a "vivid, engaging and sophisticated driving experience" for drivers everywhere.
It’s been no secret that Nissan is looking into bringing a new electric car in the US for some time now. This concept car could very well be the precursor to that car, and if we do say so ourselves, we’re looking forward to seeing what Infiniti has up its sleeve when the covers are pulled on this concept car at the Geneva Motor Show.
Audi is prepping the automotive industry for the next year with a new documents detailing its future plans. The first item on the agenda are plans to invest a total of €13 billion, in new products and technologies, as well as in expanding its sites by 2016.
"To maintain our profitable growth, we will step up investment spending on new products," said Axel Strotbek, Member of the Board of Management for Finance and Organization at AUDI AG. "The Audi Group plans to invest over € 2 billion annually in new products and technologies."
In their immediate future, Audi will be putting their new A8 hybrid on sale, which will then be followed by the launch of the Audi A3. Of course, the most awaited model is the R8 e-Tron which will be unveiled at the end of 2012. When the new R8 e-Tron is released, it will make Audi the first premium manufacturer to bring an all-electric sports car onto the market in a small series.
It was only a few days ago that Lotus announced their intentions on building a small city car to rival the new Aston Martin Cygnet, and now they have unveiled details on a project they have been working on with the International Council on Clean Transportation that was undertaken with the California Air Resources Board, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The project is for a Lotus World Car Concept and only exists in a computer somewhere for the time being. It features the Toyota Venza’s interior package, capability, performance, wheels, and tires.
As of right now, all of this sounds like a normal beginning point for a new, cleaner model, but Lotus has also announced that the Word Car may go into production fairly soon. Does this mean that we may be looking at a concept that previews their City Car? Stranger things have happened. We are all used to concept cars coming out with extravagant details that we only wish would make it on the production version, but most of the time, we are left with just a shadow of what the concept was. Following this trend, it would seem fitting to start off with a World Car just to downsize it to a City Car come production time.
The Lotus World Car Concept offers interior room for two passengers and a 9-cubic-foot luggage area or fourth occasional seat. There’s no instrument panel, so the driver will need to get all the necessary information from a smart phone or tablet.
As far as power, on paper, the Lotus World Car Concept is powered by a 50 HP 600cc engine placed ahead of the rear axle and combined to a shaft-drive motorcycle transmission. It is said to weigh just 1,150 lbs and will sprint from 0 to 60 mph in the 8-9 second range. Top speed is supposed to be about 120 mph and fuel economy has been reported at 84 city/127 highway.
Not much information was given on Lotus’ future City Car, but images released of both vehicles illustrate a similar exterior look. They did, however, offer a price on the City Car - about £29,000 (or about $45,300 at the current exchange rates) - which is a far cry from the intended price of the World Car - less than $9,000 if put into production.
Tesla is wrapping up their Lotus-based Roadster in 2011 and making way for their new Roadster - completely Tesla from the ground up - in 2014. But before that happens, Tesla will be reeling in the last bit of cash on their current model with one last Final Edition, limited to five models. These units will only be sold on the North American market, but Tesla has promised that similar editions will also be offered for the European and Asian markets, making room for 15 final units in this current model’s future.
The Tesla Roadster Final Edition is finished in a special Sporting Atomic Red paint and then combined with a duo of dark silver stripes on its hood and rear clamshell. The look is finished off with an exclusive set of anthracite aluminum wheels.
However, the exterior changes are the only changes that will be made to the model. Expect to find the same electric motor under the hood; a 3-phase, 4-pole induction motor producing a maximum net power of 248 HP. The car will sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds and can travel more than 200 miles per charge.
Ever since the Honda S2000 was dropped in 2009, rumors surrounding a a hybrid successor for the roadster have been buzzing. Turns out, those rumors may be true now that Honda has announced the EV-STER Concept at the 2011 Tokyo Auto Show. Could this be the beginning of the next small roadster? So far, signs point to yes. The Concept is being described as "a next-generation compact EV sports model, fun to drive while achieving excellent environmental performance." It is an all-electric vehicle that combines the pleasure of driving with zero CO2 emissions.
The new EV-STER Concept is made of carbon materials that help reduce the vehicle’s total weight. It is powered by an electric engine combined with a RWD system and a 10kWh lithium-ion battery that ensure a driving range of approximately 100 miles. The concept will sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 5 seconds and will be capable of a top speed of 100 mph.
The concept uses an easy-to-operate twin-lever steering that was adopted for the thorough pursuit of the joy of driving. Moreover, the new concept model enables the driver to make his/her own adjustments to some vehicle characteristics such as motor output and suspension settings, to embody the joy of maneuvering to the fullest extent.
UPDATE 12/15/11: Honda has officially announced that the EV-STER Concept has been green-lighted for production. The news comes courtesy of Auto Motor und Sport, who stated that Honda CEO Takanobu Ito has said that the roadster is headed to production and could be offered as early as next year in both standard gasoline and electric powertrains.
